The Mole People (film)
The Mole People is a 1956 science fiction film directed by Virgil W. Vogel. Plot A narration by Dr. Frank Baxter, an English professor at the University of Southern California, explains the premise of the film and its basis in reality. He briefly discusses the hollow earth theories of John Symmes and Cyrus Teed among others, and says that the movie is a fictionalized representation of this unorthodox point-of-view. Archaeologists Dr. Roger Bentley and Dr. Jud Bellamin stumble upon a race of Sumerian albinos living deep under the Earth. They keep mutant humanoid mole men as their slaves to harvest mushrooms, their primary food source, since they can grow without sunlight. The Sumerian albinos' ancestors moved into the subterranean after the cataclysmic floods in ancient Mesopotamia. Whenever their population increases, they sacrifice old people to the Eye of Ishtar, which is really natural light coming from the surface. These people have lived underground for so long that they are weakened by bright light which the archaeologists brought in the form of a flashlight. However, there is one girl named Adad who has natural Caucasian skin who is disdained by the others since she has the "mark of darkness." They believe the men are messengers of Ishtar, their goddess. When one of the archaeologists is killed by a mole person, Elinu, the High Priest, realizes they are not gods. He orders their capture and takes the flashlight to control the Mole People, not knowing it is depleted. The archaeologists are then sent to the Eye just as the Mole People rebel. Adad goes to the Eye only to realize its true nature and that the men had survived. They then leave for the surface. Unfortunately, Adad dies after reaching the surface, when an earthquake causes a column to fall over and crush her. Cast *John Agar as Dr. Roger Bentley *Cynthia Patrick as Adad *Hugh Beaumont as Dr. Jud Bellamin *Alan Napier as Elinu, the High Priest *Nestor Paiva as Prof. Etienne Lafarge *Phil Chambers as Dr. Paul Stuart *Rodd Redwing as Nazar *Robin Hughes as First Officer *Frank Baxter as Himself In Mystery Science Theater 3000 This film was featured on the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000. A clip from this movie was used in the 1968 film The Wild World of Batwoman, as creatures created by one of the movie's villains. This use was itself parodied on Mystery Science Theater 3000, with Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo mocking the classic slogan for Reese's Peanut Butter cups followed by Mike Nelson imitating the film's villain, proclaiming "That's enough of THAT film." Mythology The fictionalized Mesopotamian history presented in the film is largely based on Panbabylonism, as both Sumerian and Judaic stories describe the same historical events in the film. Dr. Bentley states that the Biblical flood is an established archaeological fact, and the stranding of the Sumerians atop the mountain is a clear reference to the tale of Noah's Ark. Similarly to the protagonists of the film Ishtar descends to the underworld.Jastrow There is a Panbabylonic connection between Ishtar’s descent and the Old Testament story of Joseph, which served as the basis for Thomas Mann’s Joseph and His Brothers. The descent to the underworld is a common story throughout world mythologies, as is the flood myth. The film is erroneous in connecting Ishtar and the Sumerians. Ishtar was the Babylonian counterpart of the Sumerian goddess Inanna. The imagery associated with Ishtar in the film is entirely fictional: Ishtar’s symbol was an eight-pointed star''Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary'' by Jeremy Black and Anthony Green (1992, ISBN 0-292-70794-0), p. 156, pp. 169–170. representing Venus rather than the uneven chevron in the film. References External links * * * * MST3K Episode Guide: The Mole People * Film score excerpts re-recorded on "Monstrous Movie Music" label (sound samples available) * DVD Review of The Mole People Category:1950s science fiction films Category:1956 films Category:American science fiction horror films Category:Universal Monsters film series Category:Black-and-white films Category:Directorial debut films Category:English-language films Category:Films featured in Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes Category:Universal Pictures films